NPR Throws IRS Private Collectors Under the Bus

In a segment aired this morning on the National Public Radio (NPR) program “Morning Edition,” the private debt collection initiative pilot launched by the IRS in 2004 is held up as an example of contractor largess under the Bush Administration.

Couched as an exploration of the boom in private contracting undertaken by the government in the past eight years – complete with high-profile and high-dollar examples of defense contracting — the segment quickly settled on the private debt collection agencies as Exhibit A in its prosecution.

An article, and a replay of the segment, can be found on NPR’s Web site.

The radio story contained an anecdotal example from one IRS debtor that claimed he had been receiving “harassing” messages from a private collection agency calling on behalf of the IRS. But when replayed, the messages merely gave a first name and implored the person to call a toll-free number.

Citing the lack of identification as one of the main reasons private collectors are inappropriate for the work, the story failed to mention that accounts receivables management firms are compelled by law to adhere to strict third party disclosure guidelines.

The segment also did not interview a single proponent of the private debt collection program for the report.